Who will Alain Vigneault use in shootouts?

Though the skills competition isn’t really a fair way to determine the winner of a hockey game, success in the shootout has granted some teams entry to the postseason and – as Rangers fans know all too well – denied others.

Thanks in large part to Henrik Lundqvist’s heroics, New York has traditionally been a solid shootout club. The Blueshirts went 4-4 in the event last season and are 53-40 overall since its inception in 2005.

Last season, coach John Tortorella relied heavily on Ryan Callahan and Rick Nash in the shootout and it’s likely that new coach Alain Vigneault will do the same. It also seems like a no-brainer that Vigneault will deploy one of New York’s most deadly shootout weapons – Mats Zuccarello – now that the Norwegian is back for a full season. So who could Vigneault turn to in Callahan’s absence to start the season and in the event of future slumps/injuries? Let’s take a look at how New York’s forwards did in the skills competition last year:

Brad Richards has obviously had a ton of success in the past, but is a ghastly one-of-12 in his two seasons with the Rangers. Could Dominic Moore be next in line? He’s probably not the guy you would have guessed, but he has both attempted and converted several more attempts than anyone else on the club.

I think Richards will be the #3 guy the first couple of weeks, until Cally comes back. Sort of a nod toward the veteran. But then Cally joins Nash and Zuc. as the 1st group, with Richards (if he is decent while Cally is out) and Moore and Brassard the next group.

I wonder if a guy like Pyatt got most of his attempts in shootouts that went 6-8 rounds deep. I can’t fathom that he was a top 3-4 guy for any team he played with.